Mark Rothko, a prominent American painter, passed away on 1970-02-25 00:00:00 UTC at the age of 66. Known for his colour-field paintings, Rothko produced a large body of acclaimed work throughout his career. Born Marcus Rothkowitz in 1903, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents, Rothko’s artistic influences included European avant-garde, Eastern European Jewish culture, American art movements, and the work of Henri Matisse. His work would go on to achieve wide-spread recognition in the 1940s and 50s, and he received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1958. Rothko frequently traversed the United States teaching at other universities. He is widely considered to be amongst the most influential post-war American painters and his work is collected in international galleries and museums.